The FSA’s National Food Crime Unit urges food businesses to strengthen fraud checks after a man from Wigan was jailed over £500,000 stolen poultry.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has warned food businesses to step up vigilance against food fraud after its National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) investigation led to the jailing of a man linked to more than £500,000 of stolen poultry.
On Tuesday 27 January 2026, Bolton Crown Court sentenced Liam Dooney, 53, from Wigan, after he pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods linked to a wider chicken and turkey distribution fraud. He received two years and six months’ imprisonment, must serve at least half of the sentence in custody, and was disqualified as a director for seven years. Dooney previously ran a food cold-storage company in the Wigan area and had been on bail since pleading guilty at the Bolton Crown Court in August.
The NFCU launched a joint investigation after reports that fraudsters posed as legitimate UK food businesses to secure poultry deliveries from overseas suppliers and one UK-based supplier.
Investigators discovered that criminals used cloned details from McDonald’s franchises to secure the deliveries, stealing large quantities of chicken and turkey and diverting them into the supply chain. Officers recovered 16.8 metric tonnes of stolen poultry, but a loss of traceability forced them to downgrade it to pet food.
Andrew Quinn, Head of the FSA’s NFCU, said:
We are pleased with this custodial sentence as it shows as there is no place in the food industry for any form of criminal activity.
We work with partners, supporting industry to meet their responsibilities and minimise the risk of any food theft resulting in food fraud. This complex case investigation has included Greater Manchester Police, Wigan Council, and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Food businesses should be vigilant to the risk of food fraud and safeguard against this, and alert to the potential of being offered stolen goods. Food businesses can help ensure they don’t become victims of theft by doing their due diligence with suppliers and customers.
We’ve advised hundreds of businesses on how to increase their resilience to fraud so people can trust the food they buy is safe, and what it says it is.”
The Agency’s food fraud advice
The NFCU has created a Food Fraud Resilience Self-Assessment Tool to help businesses improve their defences, offering practical guidance and support to reduce the risk of becoming victims.
The FSA says businesses should report all theft to the police and raise suspected food fraud through Food Crime Confidential at food.gov.uk/report or by calling 0800 028 1180 (0207 276 8787 for non-UK mobiles and calls).
